President Bola Tinubu displayed his personal philosophy and showed “where he is coming from” when he granted clemency to some drug traffickers and the murderess Maryam Sanda.

Mr Onanuga told ARISE TV on Thursday night that the president’s decision was informed by his “personal philosophy” of compassion, shaped by his life experience.

“Even the second list still contained some drug offenders, who were also given clemency, not pardon. Maryam too was given clemency,” Mr Onanuga said, addressing the criticisms that trailed Mr Tinubu’s first pardon for 175 people. “Their sentences were commuted, so to say. The president, on his own, is a compassionate person. Some of the things he does at times show where he is coming from, his own personal philosophy, attitude, and a lot of things. He has compassion.”

On October 11, Mr Tinubu announced a pardon for 175 convicts, including scores of drug traffickers and Ms Sanda, who murdered her husband, Bilyaminu Bello, in 2017, sparking public outrage. Following the outrage, Mr Tinubu made a reversal.

Mr Tinubu, 73, a politician perceived as benevolent and compassionate by his supporters, emerged as Nigeria’s president in 2023, despite his sordid antecedents, which included alleged cocaine trafficking and certificate forgery in the United States.

In 1993, Mr Tinubu’s involvement in narcotics trafficking saw him forfeit $460,000 to the U.S. government. In 2022, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois released documents holding Mr Tinubu’s encounter with American authorities over allegations of narcotics trafficking and money laundering.

While allegations of forgery taint his Chicago State University certificate, Mr Tinubu has continued a fierce pushback against the demand for his record with the Federal Bureau of Investigationto be released. 

In January, Peoples Gazette exclusively reported how Mr Tinubu dolled out $2.7 million to hire lobbyistsin the U.S. to help convince lawmakers and policymakers that he possesses acceptable personal probity to lead Nigeria, after suffering a reputational hit following reports of his involvement in illicit drug peddling and certificate fraud.